The scene of the rat’s head emerging from the snake’s belly left the spectators astonished.
Serbian herpetologist Ljiljana Tomovic, a biology professor at the University of Belgrade, discovered the carcasses of a snake and a rat on Golem Grad Island in Lake Prespa, Republic of Macedonia. This archipelago is known as Snake Island as it is the dominant kingdom of snakes. However, in this case, it seems that the snake underestimated the strength of the rat.
It took 10 seconds for the biologist to understand what had happened to the two creatures: The rat managed to escape from the snake’s belly by cutting its abdomen. The main reason for the rat’s death may have been the absorption of toxins from the snake.
Tomovic stated that the snake had swallowed the rat, but it did not expect its prey to resist fiercely, leading to the death of both. “The snake made a grave mistake in underestimating the danger and strength of the rat. The rat fought back fiercely,” he said.
“The snake’s fangs were effective, but they seemed to be no match for the giant rat’s 100 legs. Therefore, after digesting the snake’s bones, the rat’s intestines swelled. The snake was left with only its skin, as the rat had consumed everything inside it.
This is not the first time a snake has died from a rat’s bite. In May 1965, on the island of Euboea in Greece, a group of scientists also witnessed a snake’s death after being punctured in the belly after swallowing a rat.